Keighley Boys' Grammar School
www.kbgs.com

KBGS started life as Drake and Tonson School, an 1822 reference describes

... a Grammar school founded by John Drake, in the year 1715-16, for the parish of Keighley, to teach Latin, Greek, and English, grammatically.

The school changed to Keighley Trade and Grammar School sometime in 1871. The "trade" referred to the teaching of textiles with pupils being introduced to spinning and weaving machinery as part of this curriculum. This part was hived off and the Grammar School proper started. The rest became part of Keighley Technical College probably around 1900.

A detailed and fascinating history of the school 1851-1951 (scans from 1951 edition of The Keighlian)

These scans are images, readable if you size them up using your mouse/browser

Part 1: Beginnings, up to 1835, founding of the Mechanics Institute

Part 2: The Fitch Report, The Trade School, James Spencer

Part 3: Alfred Barker, building of the North Wing, the use of “Dunce” hats

Part 4: Turn of the century, death of Dennis Barrett, appointment of Thomas P Watson

Part 5: Formation of The Keighlian in 1903, first camp at Kirkcudbright

Part 6: W N Palmer then Neville Hind, the school in 1950

See more details of the early history here

And early history time line here

All of the above was housed in the Keighley Mechanics Institute which was practically gutted by a fire in 1962. The move to the Oakbank site was in April 1964. Soon after this event KGBS allowed girls and eventually turned "comprehensive".

A clipping from the Keighley News concerns the original name for KBGS after its move to Oakbank which led to a tremendous amount of protest from the school at the time, led by Brian Hudson (with a placard stating 'A second death to Miles Gale').

Today the school is known as Oakbank. There is still a Drake and Tonson bursary today at Oakbank.